Automatic filling rake



May 7, 1957 E. P. CASHlON EJ'AL AUTOMATIC FILLING RAKE Filed Dec. 14, 1954 ms f g? 2 \22 w looa i INVENTOR.

EMERSON P CAsmoN Z B $DEWEY FRIDDLE.

United states Patent [Ofice 2,791,242 Patented May 7, 1957 AUTOMATIC FILLING RAKE Emerson P. Cashion and Dewey Friddle, Greenville, S. C.

Application December 14, 1954, Serial No. 475,039

' 6 Claims. (Cl. 139--260) This invention relates to looms and more particularly to an attachment for an automatic temple knife which will insure that the ends of yarn resulting from a bobbin changing operation will be cut by the temple knife. The attachment i particularly adapted to be associated with a device of the type which will hold the temple knife normally in inoperative position but which permits the cutting operation to be carried out contemporaneously with a bobbin changing operation and facilitates this operation by grasping the ends of yarn and placing them in a position to be cut.

This is a continuation-in-part of our application entitled Automatic Temple Knife Rest, bearing Serial No. 457,581, filed September 22, 1954. As was pointed out in the above application it is the present practice to maintain the temple knife in continuous operation since such operation is actuated by the lay striking the temple knife actuating arm on each beat-up of the loom. Some of the many reasons making it desirable to normally retire the temple knife except during the bobbin changing operation are pointed out in the above application and are well known to those skilled in the art of weaving. While very successful operation has been achieved by employing the subject of the above application in connection with the weaving of synthetic yarn it has been found that considerable difiiculty has developed in connection with its use with cotton yarn. The reason for this being that the style of weaving normally employed to weave synthetic fabrics is carried out with the shed open prior to the :beat-up while the style weaving employed in connection with cotton yarn involves the closing of the shed prior :to the commencement of the beat-up. One of the reasons ;for this being that synthetic fabrics are woven under tension whereas cotton fabrics do not require tension to prevent the bunching up of the yarn due to the twist normally present in synthetic yarn.

This closing of the shed prior to the beat-up acts to prevent the weft yarn from coming sufiiciently close to :the temple knife to permit the temple knife to cut same. -This .is also true in the case of the weaving of leno .lfabrics where there is a danger of catching the weft yarn on occasions other than during a bobbin changing operation. Since a mechanism such as is described in the ;above application permits only limited cutting movements of the temple knife during the bobbin changing operation it is essential that the ends resulting from the bobbin .ichanging operation be cut during these operations of the ;temple knife.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide :an attachment to be used in connection with apparatus f the type described in our application referred to above :which will insure the cutting of the end of the yarn from the empty bobbin and then the cutting of the end of yarn which is attached to the battery head when weaving yarn of such a style that these ends do not come close enough to the temple knife to be'cut thereby contempo- ;raneously with the bobbin changing operation.

vAnother object-ofthi's invention is to provide mechanical means for grasping the ends of yarn resulting from a bobbin changing operation and positively positioning such ends in position to be cut by a temple knife.

We accomplish these and other objects of our invention by providing an automatic filling rake for use. with a loom having a temple knife. and automatic bobbin change mechanism comprising a frame positioned adjacent the temple knife, a slide carried by said frame, a. rake like element pivotally carried adjacent the rear of the slide, resilient means normally urging the slide rearwardly and raising said element, means normally holding said slide in forward inoperative position but which releases said slide responsive to the automatic change mechanism and means responsive to a beat-up of the loom for lowering said element to grasp the filling and to urge the slide forwardly whereby the yarn is positively held in position to be cut by the temple knife. 1

We further accomplish these and other objects of our invention by providing in combination with a device for normally holding a temple knife in inoperative position but which releases same responsive to actuation of the automatic bobbin change mechanism to sever the ends of yarn resulting from the bobbin changing operation, a frame carried by the temple knife housing, a slide carried by the frame, a link pivotally mounted on the slide adjacent the temple knife, means for gripping the yarn carried by the link adjacent its free end, resilient means urging said slide rearwardly into operative position, means for raising the means for gripping the yarn as the link reaches its rearward operative position and an actuating arm adapted to be struck by the lay during a beat-up operation to cause a lowering of the link carrying said gripping means into position to grasp the yarn and to move the link forwardly to place the yarn in position to be cut by the temple knife and latch means carried by said device for normally holding the slide in inoperative position so that the yarn is positively held in position to be cut by the temple knife during a bobbin changing operation.

While some of the objects have been stated above others will become apparent to those skilled in the art relating to weaving when the specification is read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters are used to designate similar parts to those shown and described in our copending application and in which: I

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the present attachment operatively positioned in association with a temple knife and a device such as is described in our copending application,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the temple knife and attachments looking from the right hand side of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the various parts in retired or inoperative position after the completion of a bobbin changing operation.

Referring more particularly to the drawing the numeral 10 broadly designates the breast beam of a loom having automatic bobbin change mechanism (not shown). The numeral 12 designates the transfer rod of such automatic bobbin change mechanism. A bracket 14 is slidably mounted on a trackway 16, which is positioned in its conventional location on the upper surface of the breast beam 10, supporting the automatic temple knife housing broadly designated at 20.

The housing 20 is provided with an extension 22 projecting rearwardly and a temple knife support 24 fixedly mounted thereon. The extension 22 of the temple knife housing 20 has a conventional downwardly projecting butter portion 28 which limits the forward movement of the temple knife actuating arm 30. The temple knife 32 is integral with the actuating arm 30 and fits within a slot 34 in the temple knife support 24. A spring 36 which is 'secured on one end as at 28 to the temple knife support 24 and on the other end to a pin 38 fixedly mounted on the actuating arm 30, normally urges the actuating arm 30 rearwardly and hence the temple knife 32 upwardly in the drawing. Figs. 1 and 2 show the woven fabric C positioned to pass beneath the temple knife and Fig. 1 shows the cloth passing over the breast beam and over the shipper rod 40 which acts as a guide therefor. Figs. 1 and 2 also show a projecting filament or end of yarn designated at F which is attached to the ejected bobbin (not shown) about to be grasped by the attachment to be described below. Fig. 2 shows the filament F just before the cutting operation takes place. The filament from the new bobbin designated at F' is shown in broken lines in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows the lay broadly designated at 46 moving rearwardly having just completed a beat-up operation which actuated the temple knife 32 to cut the end P. The cutting of the end F occurs a short time prior to its being grasped by the Stafford thread cutter (not shown) as is the case with the device described in our copending application.

Thus far the parts described and their operation are conventional with most modern looms and there follows a description of a slightly modified form of the invention described in our copending application associated with the attachment which forms the subject matter of this application and of its operation herewith.

An off-set arm 48 is shown in the drawing removably secured to the transfer rod 12. This connection is made by providing a bifurcated portion 50 to fit over the transfer rod 12 and providing a set screw 54 to prevent the bifurcated portion from turning or sliding on the transfer rod 12. At the upper or free end of the arm 48 a shaft 56 is pivotally secured adjacent its free end on a pin 60 projecting from a stub member 62 which is adjustably positioned on the shaft 56 by any suitable means such as set screws 62a. The shaft is positioned adjacent its free end on a roller 64 which is adjustably secured to the temple knife housing 20 as by a bolt 68 which passes through slot 66 in a projecting portion 72a of a plate 72 which is adjustably mounted on the housing 20 by any suitable means such as screws 78 which pass through adjustment slots 78a. The free end of the shaft ,56 has an upwardlyprojecting bifurcated portion 70 fixedly mounted thereon. A pin 72 is fixedly mounted at each end thereof on the bifurcated portion 70 and a roller 74 is rotatably positioned thereon.

An elongated resilient element 80 is secured adjacent the forward end of the temple knife housing 20 as by the screw 82 which is threaded into a projection 82a which is integral with the plate 76. The adjustment screw 84 is threadably mounted on a projection 90a of the plate 40 and is provided with a lock nut 840. It will be noted that the pressure on the resilient member 80 may be lessened by loosening the screw 84- or by turning the screw in the opposite direction to exert a greater amount of pressure against the resilient member 80.

A looped portion 88 integral with the resilient element 80 provides a cam surface which is normally adapted to fit over the roller as shown in Fig. 3 but when the transfer rod 12 is turned in a counterclockwise direction to effect a bobbin changing operation, the roller operates to raise the adjacent end of the member 80 on which the latch arm 92 depends forwardly and downwardly. It will be noted that a cut out or latch portion 92b is provided for engaging the pin 38 attached to the temple knife actuating arm 30 for holding the same in retired position. The terminal portion of the latch arm 92 is provided with a curved surface 920 on which the pin 38 is adapted to ride prior to being engaged by the cut out portion 92b.

In operation, therefore, upon actuation of the automatic change mechanism the transfer rod 12 will turn counterclockwise raising the latch 92 to place the temple knife 32 in operative position. On the first beat-up following this operation the end F from the old bobbin is cut (at the same time the empty bobbin is replaced with a full bobbin) and the transfer rod 12 returns in a clockwise direction to its normal position. At this point the latch arm 92 has been lowered preparatory to engaging the pin 38 to retire the temple knife 32. On the next beat-up the end F from the new bobbin is severed and the pin 38 engaged by the latch portion 92b to retire the temple knife 32.

The timing of the above operations is such that the end F will be severed just before the Stafford thread cutter engages the end F from the empty bobbin and therefore, the Stafford thread cutter could be eliminated.

The attachment which forms the subject matter of this invention consists essentially of an elongated housing or frame broadly designated at which may be constructed of sheet metal and which is provided with a bracket portion 102 which is adapted to be secured in any suitable manner as by the screw 104 to the temple knife support 24 so as to maintain the housing 100 in substantial alignment with the temple knife housing 20. A guideway 106 which may be also formed from sheet metal is integral with or suitably secured to the forward portion of the housing 100 by any suitable means such as welding. A slide 110 is positioned within the guideway 106 and is normally urged rearwardly into operative position by the coil spring 112 which is secured to the front end of the slide 110 on the projection 114 and on the other end to the bracket 102 on the projection 116 carried thereby. A link 120 is pivotally mounted on the forward end of the slide 110 as at 122 and an actuating arm 124 is integral with the link 120 and projects downwardly therefrom adjacent the forward end thereof to form a bell crank arrangement. The rear end of the housing 100 is provided with projections 100a which limit the rearward movement of the actuating arm 124.

The link 110 is provided with a notch which is adapted to be engaged by a projection 132 which is carried by the latch arm 92 to provide latch means for holding the slide 110 in inoperative position. The link 120 is provided with a U-shaped rake like member 136 having downwardly projecting arms 138 and 140. The arm 140 being suitably secured to the link 120. In the medial portion of the link an upwardly projecting pin 142 is provided to co-operate with the projection 116 to pro vide a cam action to raise the link 120 as the slide 110 moves to the rear to place the rake in operative position and to lower the link as the slide moves forwardly.

In operation, therefore, the spring 112 will cause the slide 110 to move rearwardly when the projection 132 is removed from the notch 130, when the automatic bobbin change mechanism is actuated to raise the latch arm 92, and the rake 136 will be raised by the pin 142 riding against the projection 116 so that the temple knife 32 and the filling rake are placed in operative position simultaneously. Theends F and F respectively are engaged and positioned one at a time by the rake to be cut by the temple knife on two successive beat-up operations of the loom. The slide is then retired to forward inoperative position together with the temple knife.

While a preferred embodiment of our invention has been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. An automatic filling rake for use with a loom having a temple knife and automatic bobbin change mechanism comprising a frame positioned adjacent the temple knife, a slide carried by said frame, a rake like element pivotally carried adjacent the rear of the slide, resilient means normally urging the slide rearwardly and raising said rake like element, means normally holding said slide in forward inoperative position but which releases said slide responsive to the automatic change mechanism and means responsive to a beat-up of the loom for lowering said rake like element to engage the filling and to urge the slide forwardly whereby, the filling is positively held in position to be cut by the temple knife.

2. An automatic filling rake for use with a 100m having a temple knife housing carrying a temple knife and automatic bobbin change mechanism comprising a frame positioned adjacent the temple knife, a slide carried by said frame, a link pivotally connected adjacent the rear of the slide, a rake like element carried by the free end of the link, resilient means normally urging the slide rearwardly, cam means raising the rake like element as the slide approaches its ultimate rearward position to thus place the rake like element in operative position, means normally holding said slide in forward inoperative position but which releases said slide responsive to the automatic change mechanism and means responsive to a beatup of the loom for lowering said rake like element to engage the filling and to urge the slide forwardly whereby, the filling is positively held in position to be cut by the temple knife.

3. An automatic filling rake as set forth in claim 2, in which said cam means comprise a first projecting element carried by the temple knife housing and a second projecting element carried by said link adapted to ride on said first projecting element to raise the free end of said link.

4. In combination with a loom having a temple knife and automatic bobbin change mechanism, a device for normally holding the temple knife in inoperative position but which releases the temple knife responsive to actuation of the automatic bobbin change mechanism to place the temple knife in operable position, an automatic filling rake comprising a rake like element for engaging the filling, means carried by said device normally holding said rake like element in inoperative position but which releases the rake like element responsive to actuation of the automatic bobbin change mechanism, means responsive to a beat-up of the loom to cause the rake like element to engage the filling and positively position same in position to be cut by the temple knife and means for placing the rake like element together with the temple knife in inoperative position at the completion of the bobbin changing operation.

5. In combination with a loom having a lay, a temple knife, a temple knife housing and automatic bobbin change mechanism, a device for normally holding the temple knife in inoperative position but which releases the temple knife responsive to actuation of the automatic bobbin change mechanism to place the temple knife in operable position, a frame carried by the temple knife housing, a slide carried by the frame, a link pivotally mounted on the slide adjacent the temple knife, means for engaging the filling carried by the link adjacent its free end, resilient means urging said slide rearwardly into operative position, means for raising the means for engaging the filling as the link reaches its rearward operative position and an actuating arm adapted to be struck by the lay during a beat-up operation to cause a lowering of the link carrying said means for engaging the filling into position to engage the filling and to move the link forwardly to place the filling in position to be cut by the temple knife and latch means carried by said device for normally holding the slide in inoperative position so that the filling is positively held in position to be cut by the temple knife during a bobbin changing operation.

6. An automatic filling rake for use with a loom having a temple knife and automatic bobbin change mechanism comprising a rake like element for engaging the filling, means carried by said device normally holding said rake like element in inoperative position but which releases the rake like element responsive to actuation of the automatic bobbin change mechanism, means responsive to a beat-up of the loom to cause the rake like element to engage the filling and positively position same in position to be cut by the temple knife and means for placing the rake like element in inoperative position at the completion of the bobbin changing operation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,070,979 Morrell Aug. 19, 1913 1,717,649 Bausinger et al May 11, 1927 1,967,510 Llewillyn July 24, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 521,627 France July 16, 1921 550,745 France Apr. 28, 1922 

